Postpartum Depression Legislation: Beneficial Or Conspiratorial?
April 9, 2008 by Alicia Sparks, Mental Health Notes
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Back in January, I notified you all of an advocacy alert regarding the Melanie Blocker-Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act (S.1375) from the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA).
Yesterday I received another advocacy alert from the DBSA. This one was also related to postpartum depression and S.1375 (and the House’s version, H.R. 20), only this one was titled an “URGENT REQUEST.”
Why?
Well, according to the alert, it seems as if “some mistakenly believe [the legislation] is a conspiracy to push new mothers to take medication.”
Hmm…I’ve read the House version of the bill (which explains postpartum depression, highlights treatment options - “including social support, therapy, medication, and when necessary hospitalization” - and explains the need for funding and more research), and I’ve read the Senate version of the bill (which does basically the same things), and not once did I feel as if a conspiracy to pump medicine into mothers’ mouthes was underway.
In the advocacy alert, the DBSA provides its own summary of what the legislation does. According to the DBSA, the legislation aims to:
- Encourage the Department of Health and Human Services to expand the research into the causes of postpartum conditions and find treatments.
- Establish a national public awareness campaign to increase awareness and knowledge of PPD and psychosis.
- Make grants available for programs that develop and offer essential services to women with PPD.
This seems about right to me.
So why are there people who feel as if this legislation is a conspiracy to push medicine? Just because medication is mentioned? Isn’t medication mention in many mental health-related bills? Because medication is a very real part of some patients’ treatment plans, doesn’t it make sense that it would be listed as a treatment option?
I honestly don’t understand why some people think this legislation is a conspiracy.
In any event, at the bottom of the advocacy alert the DBSA provides an online form for those who want to send letters of support to President Bush, Vice President Cheney, the current presidential runners, and their representatives.
I just sent mine.
Very interesting, Alicia! I wonder if there are people who think legislation discussion insurance coverage for infertility treatments is a conspiracy to get more would-be parents to use IVF, or if legislation to cover therapies for children on the autism spectrum are conspiracies to medicate or over-treat them?
As you mention, practically all health-related bills mention medications, treatments or therapies in them. I never saw that as a blanket approval or encouragement of their use.
Thanks for sharing this.
You’re very welcome, Gabrielle!
Whenever I hear anything regarding postpartum depression, I always think of that big blow-up between Brooke Shields and Tom Cruise - how she credited medication in part to her recovery, and how he publicly chastised her for it. I know it’s old news now, and that they’ve apparently made up, but I can’t help but think about it now, too.
In any event, like you, I wonder if these same people go the extra mile and protest ALL bills that mention medication as possible treatment options. I mean, why stop at PPD?
Too, I think a lot of folks feel threatened because they see medication as the enemy when really, it’s not. Medication works well for many people when properly administered and monitored (and combined with other treatments like therapy).
Had I not been clinically diagnosed and treated with medication for my Post Partum Depression, who knows what terrible thing I could have done to myself or to my newborn. I thanked the Lord everyday for the medicine that helped me get through that terrible time in my life.
Sincerely,
Monica R. Lopez
Thanks so much for your story, Monica. Medicine really can make such a big difference in a person’s treatment plan, and I’m so glad you found one that worked for you. I hope you’ll take part in the DBSA’s advocacy alert!
Once I started taking Zoloft, I felt better and decreased the chances of hurting myself.
There ARE ways of avoiding prescription medications for PPD. There are natural supplements that women can take to help fight off postpartum depression, even before a child is born. According to the Dietary Supplement Information Bureau page on pregnancy, women can be taking supplements rich in multiple vitamins and minerals & these nutrients promote a healthy state of mind.